Joe Meriweather

From the tiny Decatur based Riot-Chorus label comes this unheralded beauty from Joe Meriweather. There’s Nothin' I Wouldn’t Do is deep soul in the grand manner – a guy shouting out his love with all the emotional intensity you could wish for. Great help from the sensitive guitarist and fine horn section too. Yet more proof (and I need this more than most) that not all Illinois soul should be dismissed out of hand as shallow and inconsequential. The Otis Redding cover on the flip isn’t bad at all either.

UPDATE ~ Greg Burgess writes with the excellent info that Joe did record some more sides. "The lead singers of the Decatur , Ill based Preston Jackson & The Rhythm Aces were Billy Rogers and Joe Meriweather. It's Meriweather on lead on both tracks that appeared on a Vee Jay 45 - "Joni" / Be Mine" (Vee Jay 417) from 1961. He's also the writer of the rather jolly 'Joni'. There is another cut by this group called "Three Quarter Stomp Part One & Two" by Preston Jackson & the Rhythm Aces featuring Joe Meriweather on Hermitage 802".

As ever I'm very grateful to Greg for his dilgent research.

NEW UPDATE ~ Nick Sands has very kindly sent both sides of the excellent picture sleeve that somecopies of the 45 were released with. I'm very grateful to him.